Venice for Carnivale

Venezia!!!

-We had an early bus time, sleepy! 

-we met in a train station, it was my first time seeing a train station... Cool! Easy to understand and navigate. Maybe I'll take a train somewhere for a day.

-we drove through Bologna, the italian alps, close to Padua and some other places (see map in the many pictures I took)

-we drove through SNOW!!! The italian alps were like a winter wonderland; so gorgeous!!!

-finally get to the shuttle ("people mover") that takes us to the island of Venice. 

-the only way around is by boat or water taxi!

-it was freezing! So cold when the wind blew

-Venice is gorgeous!!! So much color everywhere! And the water is just so pretty moving though all the streets.

-We got there around lunchtime, so we had to search for food.

-Found a really cute place, and got tasty pasta.

-then walked around some more; window shopped and took pictures. We found some masks to wear around for the first day of carnivale, kicking off the festivities.

-then we rode in a gondola!!!! 80€ per group of 5 so only about €16 per person... Worth it!!!

-our gondolier was so nice, and very knowledgable about Venice. Fun fact, you can't just be a gondolier, you have to be born into the profession- it's passed down from generations in Venetian families.

-I got my hand kissed by a gondolier, I felt special

-then we decided to walk around some more and see more things. We got there at kind of an awkward time, around afternoon where we couldn't really do anything besides walk around because the museums and things closed. When we have more time I want to see Murano (glass blowing) and Burano (colored houses), and the inside of some of the beautiful churches there.

-people started coming out in full costume around 6, and boy were their costumes beautiful. Huge elaborate Spanish and French 18th century farthingales complete with jewels, the powdered wig and the beautiful masks of course.

-most of these masks are handmade and hand painted... So every store and stand is different! All of them are so beautiful; so much attention to detail.

-costumes were so pretty but some were funny. One group were giant fuzzy sea creatures. I got taken away by a giant pink octopus, he walked me down the street a ways then back to my friends. 

-danced in St Mark's Square

-I used a water closet! That was exciting. Never had to pay to use the bathroom before

-late getting home because of late people 

-Fun time all in all! Very tired though. 

There's a chocolate festival going on in Florence right now for a few days. Umm have I said how much I love italy??!! :)